Action Alliance Cautions INEC Against Selective Compliance with Court Judgments

From: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna

The Action Alliance (AA) has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against selectively complying with court judgments and misinterpreting valid court orders concerning the party’s leadership.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Olu Omotoso, the AA expressed disappointment over INEC’s response to a recent judgment from the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

The Federal High Court in Osogbo ordered the Inspector-General of Police to arrest INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, within seven days for contempt of court.
This order was issued after the Commission failed to comply with earlier directives requiring it to update its official records to reflect Hon. (Dr.) Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as the National Chairman of Action Alliance.

While INEC has partially complied by uploading the names of other members of the National Executive Committee elected at the party’s National Convention held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, it notably omitted Hon. Omoaje’s name as National Chairman.
The Action Alliance labeled this as “partial compliance” and “a direct affront to the rule of law.”

The Action Alliance emphasized that Hon. (Dr.) Adekunle Rufai Omoaje’s leadership was established through a legitimate National Convention, monitored by INEC, held in Osogbo in February 2020.
The party also reminded INEC that the Supreme Court of Nigeria had dismissed an appeal by Kenneth Udeze, affirming his expulsion from the party.

The Action Alliance urged INEC to refrain from further distortion of facts and to fully comply with the existing orders issued by the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

Furthermore, the party called for an independent roundtable dialogue involving human rights organizations, election monitoring groups, and international observers to assess INEC’s compliance with court judgments and its conduct in relation to the administration of political parties.

The Action Alliance’s warning to INEC underscores the necessity for the Commission to uphold the rule of law and avoid selective compliance with court rulings.
As the party stated, “The rule of law must not be compromised by administrative bias or selective interpretation of court orders. INEC must rise above personal influence and partisan manipulation to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.”